If K-Mart were to sponsor an "All-Bargain Team' for 1986, Ron Roenicke and Bruce Ruffin of the Phillies would be right at the top of the list.

Roenicke, who was purchased from Oakland's Tacoma farm team on May 7 for loose change, slammed a homer and single while Ruffin, who was recalled from Reading on June 26, crafted a neat five-hitter for eighth innings as the Phillies body slammed lefty Bob Ojeda and the New York Mets 8-4 last night at the Vet.

Mike Schmidt, the Cartier's wing of the team, also contributed to the cause with two singles and his 25th homer of the year, a towering two-run shot in the four-run first. The homer gave Schmidt the NL lead in that department. Oh yes, Schmidt is now tied with Rich Ashburn for the Phils career record for at-bats at 7,123.

Schmidt now has 801 extra base hits in his career, which ties him with Joltin' Joe DiMaggio for 31st all-time.

"They seem to challenge me more in thefirst inning than any time else," said Schmidt, who did not have a fielding chance at third. "Maybe it's because the tone of the game hasn't been set yet. But hitting them in the first often means you don't have to bat in the ninth."

Gary Redus, who extended his successful stolen base streak to 14 before being gunned down by Gary Carter in the fourth, also launched a two-run homer in the sixth.

The 'R & R' the Phils received was the key, however.

Take Roenicke, for example. Last night marked his 52nd start. He has reached base via a hit or walk in 44 of those games. He has quietly pieced together a solid season while 'The Stone Age' has come and gone on several occasions.

"I am a pretty disciplined hitter, which accounts for a lot of the walks I've had," said Roenicke, who is hitting .265 with 5 homers and 38 RBI. "But it's hard to feel comfortable at the plate when you are not up there every day. Since the All-Star break I've sat out a lot. Now that Jeff Stone is hurt I am back in the lineup. I have struggled until today. Maybe it was just switching over to the other side of the plate. Maybe this will get me out of the slump. Then again, I may be back on the bench again.

"The reason I left the Dodgers was because I wasn't playing every day," said Roenicke. "I've floated around so much since then that I just want to stay in the majors right now. Certainly, I'd rather start. I know I could help some teams if I did. But I can't afford to say play me every day or I'll go somewhere else. Hey, they've given me a chance to play here. I've played a lot more than I thought I would when they signed me. So, I'll always feel good about that."

Ruffin continues to be a revelation since replacing Hall of Famer Steve Carlton in the team's rotation. The 6-2, 205-pound southpaw is now 4-3 with an ERA of 2.85.

The former Texas Longhorn teammate of Boston sensation Roger Clemens faltered only against Kevin Mitchell.

Mitchell, the bonafide Rookie of the Year candidate who made George Foster expendable, doubled and tripled to figure in both Met runs.

Ruffin's crucible came in the third. He yielded a one-out single to Ojeda. That was notable because Ruffin has allowed only six hits all season to lefty batters. That was also just the sixth career hit for Ojeda.

A pair of walks loaded the bases and brought up Carter, the NL's RBI leader. Ruffin retired him on a soft fly to right to end the threat.

"Poise, that's the key word you use when you talk about Bruce," said Schmidt. "He's not intimidated by anything. He's real quiet and calm by nature anyway. But, I'll tell you, he really showed me something when he used that inside fastball to get out Carter with the bases loaded. Ruff has that ability to force the ball on the inside corner."

Phils manager John Felske knows he has something special on his hands in Ruffin.

"I was with the Brewers when they brought up Robin Yount (at 19)," Felske said. "Some people just have what it takes, regardless of their age or experience. I knew Bruce was special in his second home start when he went out there before 61,000 fans (on Fireworks Night) like he was having a catch in his backyard."

"Poise is just a personality trait," explained Ruffin. "I am a quiet person, so it's easy for me to block things out when I am on the mound.."

Pitching at Texas was more of a pressure-cooker for Ruffin.

"If you had a bad game there you might not be in the rotation for the next game," smiled Ruffin. "You had to produce in every game because we had a lot of conference and playoff games. That helped mature me as a person."

Ruffin still keeps in touch with Clemens and Calvin Schiraldi.

"They're both from Texas and Calvin lives near me in Austin," Ruffin said. "We have an alumni game every year and that's some kind of staff."

Ruffin figures to be a great one.

"He has greatness stamped all over him," Schmidt said. "You can just tell."

Because he looms as the anchor to any future Phils staff, Felske isn't taking any chances with his precious hurler.